Daring Do -in- Rain or Shine
by Syrograph
Summary: Daring Do, fearless adventurer, sets down in an enormous city on the Western Plains. She's looking to take a short vacation after having recaptured a priceless gem opal artifact from a black market trader. She plans on sending it back home via the postal service so that she can take some time off, but as always; nothing quite goes to plan...
1. Part 1: Play of Colour - Ch1

Daring Do -in- Rain or Shine

Part 1: Play Of Colour

Chapter 1: New Horizon, New Castle.

She couldn't believe that she'd never been there before. It was an unfamiliar city on the Western Plains; an area she had rarely visited in the past. Whoever she asked, she was regaled with stories about The Great City of Hoofcastle. Everyone had told her about how huge the city was, how fabulous the festivities were, the might of its military and the leadership of its monarchy. It truly seemed like a wonderful place to visit, and with so much history, it promised to be full of secrets and archaeological delights.

Finally free to travel, after fighting to retrieve a precious gemstone from a black market trader in a nearby town, she decided to visit Hoofcastle as a tourist. She planned to send the hoof-sized opal back to its rightful owner via the postal service, then spend some time exploring the surrounding area; rather than carry it all the way back herself. To her, it was the perfect plan. Even someone as hard-working as her needed time off once in a while.

The high-walled fortress city loomed on the horizon as she flew clear of the trees of the Rosettian Forest; giving way to a rich, grassy meadow, stretching out as far as the eye could see. It was a delightfully warm day, and with all of the open air now that she was free of the densely wooded area, the pegasus decided to enjoy it. She flew in to the nearest thermal she could find and soared higher and higher. It was liberating! The thermal carried her ever further in to the sky until it eventually reached its peak. With a few more wing-beats, she tumbled over backwards and out of the rising column of air. With her eyes closed and a grin on her face, she plummeted back down towards the hard ground. Fast and faster she fell, managing to turn out of the drop at the last moment. The eddies and vortices blew a cloud of pollen and flower petals right off of their stems; an exploding rainbow of colours.

To any other flyer, such a dive would be daring; perhaps too daring, but not too daring for Daring Do!

She eventually made it to the town on the outskirts of Hoofcastle; a bustling place called Saddleton.

Saddleton was actually so close to the castle walls of the gigantic fortress city that it all might as well have been one giant city all together. It was more of a suburb than a separate town. The settlement seemed pleasant enough, with nothing more than a wooden palisade at its borders. Even in an area reportedly as dangerous as the western plains, it seemed quite inviting. She set down by the front gate, stepping up to two guard-ponies standing watch. The gate was open, so Daring assumed that the way was clear. "Good afternoon." She nodded her head on the way past. The guards didn't even bat an eyelid in response. Must have been part of their training. Ignoring them, she made her in to the town. The skyline was partly blocked by the massive grey brick structure that stretched several hundred, maybe even over a thousand hands high. A descending whistle left her lips as she scoped the size of the building. "Nice place!" Laughing, she continued on towards the town centre.

When Daring was finally there, she spent a moment taking in all the sounds, sights and smells. There was a whole variety of things to see and do, and she wanted to explore all of it. Her first thought was to look for the nearest post office, but her rumbling stomach was telling her to reorder her priorities. The post office wasn't going anywhere, after all. "Hm, I guess I should go and get something to eat."

She trotted across the cobblestones towards a large, ornate fountain in the town square. From there, she could get a good view of the many colourful and varied stalls that lined the streets. There were arts and crafts, groceries, tools, clothes and book stalls; as well as a good few open-air grills and cafés. The delicious scent of roasted red bell-peppers and caramelised onions practically lifted and carried her over to a small queue of other ponies waiting to get their share. A burgundy-coloured earth pony with a dark grey mane and tail was artfully tossing the sizzling mixture in a large skillet, with oily orange and purple flames leaping from the shallow pan. An enthusiastic yellow unicorn was serving customers at the stall, handing over neatly wrapped wheat tortillas filled with the aromatic treat. "Howay, get 'em while they're hot!" the young mare shouted over the crowd. "Two bits each, five bits fre three!" She picked up a few more of the generously-sized bundles and passed them out to a paying customer and his two foals.

Simple street fayre; sometimes there was just nothing like it! Fried foods were common all over the world, sold in various guises as patties, nuggets, kebabs, skewers, stir-fry, pastries; you name it, it's been fried and it's been loved by thousands.

The quick service ensured that the lines thinned out pretty fast, soon putting Daring at the front. "What'll it be, fearless adventurer?" It was obvious that the seller was making fun of her hat and jacket, but something about it was oddly flattering. Daring laughed it off, taking it as a compliment. If only she knew! "One te gan?"

From 'te gan', Daring guessed that she meant 'to go'. "Yes please!" Daring reached for her coin purse and produced two bits. The unicorn handed over the goods, receiving the two golden coins for her troubles. "Thank you." Always charming and polite, Daring nodded her head with a smile and backed away to let the next eager customer through.

"Pleasure te serve yee , ma'am. We's next?" Her attention was quickly drawn away to the next hungry pony.

Daring found a sunny spot by the fountain in the town square, sitting down on the smooth stones and enjoying the sun's rays. Occasionally some cool droplets of water splashed over her neck. She was thankful for it on such a hot day, finding it refreshing. It was the perfect accompaniment to the warm, mildly spicy meal she was about to get stuck in to.

Peeling a layer of grease-paper off of the soft tortilla, Daring licked her lips eagerly. This was going to be so worth it after several days with just dried rations. Stale bread really hit the spot, but only when it was absolutely needed.

Shutting her eyes and opening her jaws wide to take a bite, she found herself clapping her teeth together around thin air. "Ow!" she yelled, feeling the impact resonate through her skull. Quickly opening her eyes and peering around, she noticed a young colt disappearing towards a large crowd. He was carrying her lunch, and he was getting away! "Hey!" Daring leapt to her hooves, giving chase. The little brat was not going to get away with that! "Come back!" she shouted, muscling past the slow-moving lines of ponies as she tried to keep up with the galloping youngster. "That's mine!"

She soon lost him, only managing to catch a glimpse of his blue tail disappearing around a dark corner. She skidded to a halt and looked in to the shadows of the alleyway. "I know you're in there!" Daring was angry; not to mention extremely hungry. The combination made her desperate to get the tempting meal back, even if it took all day. She was going to find that thief and show him what for! Stepping in to the darkness, Daring kicked over an empty barrel, letting it echo through the narrow passageway. She was hoping that the loud noise would scare the colt in to revealing himself. "Give my food back, you thief!" She ventured in further, concentrating hard in case she missed something. It was dark, and there were stacks of barrels and crates everywhere. "I paid for that!"

A thought in the back of her head gave her the impression that this was a trap. She kept her wits about her as she approached a particularly large stack of boxes at the far end of the alleyway. "Come out here and face me!" she bellowed, trying to sound tough. When there was no reply, Daring marched forwards to where she thought he was hiding.

There! A blue tuft of hair. "I've got you now you little-" She stopped short of shouting an insult when she noticed who was there. Sure, she had found the colt and her lunch, but she never intended to find his even younger siblings. "...you...little..." she trailed off. The colt and his two sisters were cowering with fear as she loomed over them with a hoof raised, ready to snatch the food away. The snarl that had formed on her lips slowly relaxed, becoming a look of uncertainty. The three young ponies were famished; skinny and weak. The youngest filly was maybe no more than two years old. Daring thought for a moment, sighing.

"Please don't hurt us, Miss!" The colt begged, making himself look as small as possible. "We're so hungry! I'm sorry for taking your food away, but we've got nothing left!" he snivelled, lying on the ground and wrapping his forelegs around one of Daring's own.

"No, don't apologise. I'm sorry; I didn't know you were so down on your luck." She softly nudged the top of the young earth pony's head to reassure him. His mane was greasy and unkempt, but she had smelled far worse in her adventures.

"We really need it, ma'am. My sisters cry all day but nobody will listen to us." The colt was on the verge of tears himself.

"I understand; don't worry." She pondered on what to do next. The food the colt had stolen was probably not going to be enough for three, even if they were children. She fished around for her coin purse again, checking to see how much was left. She had only brought a few bits with her, used to getting by on the bare minimum, and not wanting to risk losing too much by getting mugged.

She took a quick count of her spending money.

Only four bits.

Really? That little? She could have sworn she had more.

She felt unprepared, making a mental note to carry more loose change in future. "Uhm, maybe I could buy you some more, but I'm hungry too." With that declaration, the colt produced a single bit from a small bag behind his sisters.

"This is all we've got. We've been saving up to buy food, but all the food costs too much."

"Please, Miss; we're so hungry." the older sister pleaded. The youngest coughed. She sounded ill. It was more than enough to convince Daring that this was the right thing to do.

"Okay, little ones. Come with me." She took the bit and trotted back towards the main street. The three foals followed.

She held the bit between her teeth, since it was a short walk back to the stall. She felt happy that she was helping out the tiny ponies in their time of need. "Okay, so we'll get three more of those meals for five bits. That should be-" she turned to look behind her and saw that all three youngsters were nowhere to be found.

Realisation dawned on her.

She checked for her coin purse.

It was missing.

She threw the grubby gold coin to the floor in anger and disgust. She'd been used. "Oh buck it!" Daring screamed. Before she had chance to react, the last bit was snatched up by the same young colt, seemingly coming out of nowhere. He vanished once more in to the crowd before she could spot where he was heading.

Outsmarted by three foals.

How humiliating.

Daring fell to the ground and covered her face with her forelegs, groaning in frustration. They had her food; now they had all of her money.

New plan: trust nopony.

Saddleton was starting to seem much less friendly than she had anticipated. Now all she had left was a half-eaten, week-old loaf of bread. It was growing mould on the crust.

"Now what do I do?" She stood up again, gritting her teeth. That was definitely the last time she would be taken for a ride.

The crowd around the grill stall had thinned out somewhat. Now there were only a few more ponies looking to buy. Daring thought that perhaps the majority of ponies were now on their way back to work or about their daily business. The yellow unicorn, who was still serving, called out to her. "How, Miss!" Daring looked up. "Aye!" The clerk waved a hoof, motioning for her to approach. "Ahm sorry aboot tha nuisance; he preys on newcomers an tourists aal the time. Hes a clever little leach." Her dialect was unfamiliar; unusually heavy compared to the others she had heard around this area. The general accent was quite rounded and friendly, with a lot of the vowels sharing roughly the same 'eu' sound. The way the unicorn spoke was about the same, but several times more exaggerated.

"So you saw him take my food, then?" Daring asked, stepping up to the stall.

"Of course Ah did, pet. Ah wez gunna warn yee , but the crowd wez see busy Ah just couldn't git te y'in time, like. Sorry pet." She seemed sympathetic.

"It's okay." Daring sighed, more hungry than ever and now poor. She started to walk away, wondering how best to remove the mould from the bread in her pack, but the unicorn stopped her.

"Wait, weor are yee gannin?" she asked. She seemed genuinely concerned. "Wi still hev lashins iv scran left, pet." Daring stopped to look up at her again.

Scran?

Lashins iv?

Just what was this polite, if confusing pony saying? "I beg your pardon; I'm not really from the Western Plains, so I don't really-"

"Scran, pet! Scran! Yee knaa; scran te eat!" She seemed to find it hard to put it in to more general terms. Daring supposed old habits died hard, so breaking a heavy dialect or accent you've grown up with was difficult.

"Scran... to eat? Food?" She smiled brightly. "You'd give me some more food?" Daring was hopeful, genuinely astounded by the mare's generosity after such a despicable display from the three youngsters. She supposed everyone was different, no matter where they were from.

"Aye, of course! It'll anny gan te waste otherwise." She quickly served another happy customer before turning to Daring once more. She stepped away from the stall and used her magic to float over one of the wrapped tortillas that she had prepared during the busy lunchtime rush. It was still slightly warm, though not as hot and delicious as the original serving would have been. It was, however, free. Beggars can't be choosers.

"Thank you so much!" Daring gratefully accepted the gift with a bow of her head.

"Oh, divvint worry aboot it, pet." The unicorn flopped a hoof dismissively. "Bee the way, me name's Joy Hawk'n." Daring assumed that she actually meant 'Joy Hawking' from the sudden glottal stop.

"Daring Do. It's a pleasure to meet you, Joy!" She was famished, so she started to eat without hesitation. The first mouthful was particularly large; perhaps too much so. She struggled to chew for just a moment. Joy smiled and waited for the pegasus' verdict.

"See, canny good?" she asked. Daring just continued to chew with a questioning look on her face.

Canny? See what?

Joy rolled her eyes and tried to force a more neutral accent. "Like it?"

Daring's eyes widened. "Oh yes, it's great! Sorry, I'm just not used to the accent... No offence."

"Neen tek'n." Joy rolled her eyes again and laughed. She was indeed used to it; especially with outsiders. The locals just grew up with it, though the dialect itself was on its way out, what with the influx of immigrants coming to live and work in Saddleton and Hoofcastle. The Draughtie dialect was unfortunately becoming extinct.

"So, uh, you sell things on the street then, hm?" Daring caught a glimpse of the mare's cutie mark; two golden coins on her flank.

"Wey aye, tha's reet, pet. Ha gan yee tell?"

"Well, I just... well you sell stuff... you sold stuff to me. Sorry didn't mean to-" Daring took her reply as sarcastic and started to ramble.

"Ahm anny messin' wi' yee, hin!" Joy started to laugh out loud, lightly punching Daring's shoulder with a front hoof. "Aye, me job is te sell whativvor Ah gan! At lunch-time it's scran, cus me sweetheart is a cook. Otherwise Ah run a pawn shop doon the street, like." Daring still didn't quite catch it all, but she recognised a few words and phrases.

"Oh you run a pawn shop? What sort of things do you pawn?" Daring wondered if she could make a bit of money back after having been robbed. She took another large bite out of the tortilla.

"Oh, y'knaa; nick knacks an' bits an' bobs an' aal tha'. Owt deed. Why; are yee lookin' te sell somethin'?"

Owt deed?

This accent was truly hard to follow, and Daring thought she had heard all that the world had to offer.

"Oh, I might have a few little things. I really should get going, though. The post office will be closed soon, and I have to go and get something mailed out. I'll be sure to drop by when I'm done there though!" Her expression went from jovial to panicked as she thought of something else.

The opal!

That young colt could have taken that too!

She gasped and dropped her pack, turning to rummage through it. The final third of her meal dropped to the floor as a more important issue took over. "No no no no no! Please let it be in... here..." She slowed as she produced it from underneath a blanket. "Oh! Thank goodness!" She was relieved; though her heart was beating fast from the sudden rush of fear.

"Oh wa! What is that bonny thin'?" Joy's eyes lit up, as if willing the gem in to her possession. "Tha's gotta be worth a fortune!" She leaned in closer, seeing her face reflected in the highly polished, dark stone; a veritable rainbow of fire glistening at its heart.

"I'm not sure what it is; but it definitely belongs in a museum. I'm staying in Saddleton and Hoofcastle for a little while to explore, so I'm sending it home." Daring explained the situation, rubbing a little dust off of the convex face with her foreleg. As she slid it back in to the saddlebag, Joy looked slightly disappointed.

"Oh, Ah guess that is the reet thin te dee." She looked a bit uneasy, shifting on the spot. "See, uhm, wheor did yee git that from?"

"Oh, I... uh; liberated it from a travelling merchant. Turns out he was actually selling stolen goods, so I'm sending it back to the collection it belongs to." Daring closed the clasp on the bag. "Anyway, I should really get going. I'll come and visit your shop later!" She grinned and nodded her head.

"Reet yas! It wes geet canny te meet yee, Miss Do." Joy nodded back.

"It was...gate cannery to meet you too, Miss Hawking!" Daring laughed nervously as she tried to emulate the peculiar dialect. Joy stared ahead with an eyebrow raised, but still with a smile on her lips.

"Ah'll see yee latah, pet." Joy ushered her on, not wanting her to miss the last post.

"Right... right! Okay, see you soon!" Daring turned to start on her way towards the post office. She bid her goodbye with a quick wave over her shoulder.

It wasn't long before Daring found her way to the main branch post office. It was quite hard to miss; ornately decorated with gold leaf and a giant wooden statue of a flying pegasus over the door. It was quite possibly the most intricate post office she had ever seen. Considering the distance from any other major towns, and the far-flung villages out in the plains and towards the forest, it was no wonder that the ponies of Hoofcastle and Saddleton held the mail service in such high regard. Delivery ponies skittered around from all over, bringing in bags of post and parcels taken from the mail-boxes dotted around the town. There looked to be a bit of a rush going on, like the last outgoing mail was about to leave.

"Hurry up there! We've gotta get all this sorted within the hour!" an elderly unicorn with grey hair called down from a balcony in a courtyard to the side of the establishment. Daring watched curiously, finding it interesting to see how the service worked behind the scenes. She could see a sorting office through one of the glass windows under the canopy. The sorting jobs were particularly well-suited to the unicorns, who could easily sort large bundles of letters in to pigeon-holes with their levitation magic. Flickers of colourful light through the dusty panes were constant, showing just how busy the sorters actually were. After a brief moment, she made her way inside.

A bell rang by the door as she pushed it open. There was a small line of ponies still waiting to pay for their parcels to be sent out. Daring used the mail system regularly, so she always carried a book of pre-paid stamps. Since she was absolutely lacking any form of money, she hoped that the stamps would be enough to mail the heavy opal back to the museum.

The whole building had the smell of paper and envelope glue lingering on the air. It was musty, but quite pleasant, reminding her of home. "Next please!" called a young earth pony from behind the counter. He had a tan coat and a red and white mane. A blue cap sat on his head and square-framed, black glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. His accent was considerably clearer than most she had heard already, lacking the rounded pronunciation. In fact, his accent was closer to Daring's own. Maybe he wasn't from the Western Plains?

The line dissipated faster than she imagined it would. The mail clerk was obviously very good at his job. "Next customer please!" He called, motioning for Daring to join him. She stepped up to the counter. "How can I help you, ma'am?"

"I'd like to post an ornament, if that's okay." She started rummaging through her saddlebags for the precious gem.

"Certainly; is it wrapped?" he asked with a smile.

"It's not wrapped, sorry. It might also be kind of fragile. I hope that's not a problem!" She produced the shimmering gem and carefully placed it, with one hoof, on to the wooden worktop in front of him. His response was delayed while he tried to process the sheer value of such a flawless gemstone.

"Uhm, uh yes that's fine. I just need to uh, weigh it up." He balanced on his back legs as he hefted the stone up on to the scales; using two hooves and his nose to keep it safe. When it landed on the scale pan, the pan dropped significantly. Daring heard the springs squeak and the needle on the dial hit the end with a click. He waited for the scales to settle before taking a moment to calculate the cost. Clacking a few beads around on an abacus, he deliberated before delivering the bad news. "Hmm. It looks like this parcel will cost thirty-five bits, ma'am." He smiled nervously and waited for her reaction.

"Thirty-five bits!?" Daring was outraged. She had never had to spend so much on postage before. It wasn't that heavy! "Are you serious?" she barked, scowling at the mail clerk. "It's not even hoof-sized!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am! I don't make the rules. This is a heavy gemstone, and very valuable! The pegasus tasked with carrying it will have to take extra care not to lose it or damage it in any way." The clerk slid his glasses up his nose. "Also, the weight of it will offset the amount of lighter packages and letters that they will be able to carry. I hope you understand." He sounded sorry for her, but he was only doing his job. Daring tutted and groaned. If she couldn't send it back by post, she was going to have to take it herself. That meant no vacation!

"Is there no way you can do it for any less?" she asked, determined to make time for herself to have some fun in this bustling metropolis.

"I'm sorry ma'am, it's the best price we can afford. One of our reserve pegasi are going to have to work overtime to pick up the letters our usual employee would carry. It's only fair on the workforce, ma'am." He looked to be sweating. This pony was nervous. She didn't want to give the poor clerk a panic-attack, so she lowered her voice.

"Okay, okay. I understand." Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she retrieved the stamp-book from her saddlebags and placed it on the counter. "I think I have thirty-five bits worth of stamps in here." She opened it up and flicked through the few pages of perforated stamps she had left.

...thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four...

Thirty-four.

Thirty-four?!

She threw her head back and yelled with frustration. The clerk leapt away with fright, startled.

"Thirty-four. That's all I've got. Are you absolutely sure you can't do it for thirty-four?" She was desperate by this point. The clerk gulped.

"W-well, you see, ma'am, I've already c-cut the price down as much as I can. Trust me; if my colleague was on-duty right now, the charge would be closer to forty bits."

"Forty bits?!" she yelled.

"Forty! Thirty-five is a good deal, really!" The clerk reiterated, shaking on the spot.

"I can't afford it! I was robbed by some young colt and his sisters! Please, I need to get this mailed out."

"I'm sorry ma'am but I could lose my job. I already cut prices back on big deliveries as much as I can!" He was genuinely disappointed that the situation was turning out this way. He never liked to turn a customer away.

"I need to get just one more bit!" She looked around to see if anyone else was left. Everyone was gone; she was the last customer. "I... I know where I can get more money. I'll be as fast as I can, okay?"

"You'll have to be quick! We close in fifteen minutes. Please hurry." The clerk did want her to succeed; it ruined his entire evening if he ever let a customer down.

"I'll be back in ten!"

Daring snatched the gem from the scales and stuffed it in to the bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She stormed out, frustrated and angry; especially after being robbed. This had screwed everything up! She gritted her teeth and growled with frustration, stomping off towards the market yet again. She was going to have to pawn something at Joy's shop, and quickly.

She had forgotten something. The stamp-book was still on the mail counter. The clerk looked up at the gilded motto embossed on the wall.

Come Rain Or Come Shine, The Mail Will Always Get There On Time.

He sighed. He was going to have to do some running.

"Wait, ma'am!" he called after her. He grabbed the stamp-book in his teeth and cantered as fast as he could towards the door, running out in to the street.

* * *

_Author's Notes:_

_So I finally took the plunge in to the MLP fandom. Here I am! _

_Congrats if you read this far; I'm happy you made it through._

_My name's Sy, by the way; it's a pleasure to meet you._

_If you're unsure on Joy's accent, I've basically appropriated the Geordie accent of north-east England. I imagine her to sound kind of like stand-up comedian Sarah Millican; I urge you to look her up for an example of what she sounds like! She's also very funny, so that's a bonus. _

_Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! Make sure to leave a review to let me know what you thought about it, and what you think I might be able to improve on! Criticism is always welcome, as long as it's constructive._

_-Sy_


	2. Part 1: Play of Colour - Ch2

**Daring Do -in- Rain or Shine**

**Part 1: Play of Colour**

**Chapter 2: Out of The Blue**

"Hey, ma'am! You forgot your stamps!" the mail clerk yelled as he tried to catch up. It was no use; she was far too quick for him. "Ma'am!" he yelled again, trying to be heard over the din of the crowds. It wasn't as busy as it typically was around lunch-time, but there was still enough hustle and bustle to drown out his voice.

He prepared himself for a full-on gallop, ready to catch up with the briskly trotting pegasus. She was, no doubt, going to miss her thirty-four bits worth of stamps. He picked up the pace, gritting his teeth and panting as he exerted muscles he didn't even know he had. "Ma'am!–" another sharp breath "– wait for me!" Bowing his head down and screwing his eyes shut, he pushed himself harder than he ever had before.

He stopped abruptly as he barreled in to somepony's flank. Slamming to the floor, he groaned. He rolled on to his back, clutching at his winded chest with his forelegs. This was why he never went running!

"Hey, are you okay?" a familiar voice asked. He opened his eyes and found himself staring up at the same pegasus he was after. He didn't bother with wasting any time.

"You forgot your stamp-book!" He held aloft the tooth-marked and saliva-smeared booklet. "Didn't want you to leave them behind."

Daring huffed, "I was going to come back! You could have left them there." She could barely believe that this stallion had followed her all this way. "I've only got about ten minutes left to find another bit, and you're worried I was going to forget my stamps?"

The clerk heaved himself on to his feet. "Well, I uh; the thing is, uhm... What if you didn't come back, ma'am?" He awkwardly scuffed a hoof on the ground, kicking up a little cloud of dust. "You might have forgotten them, right?"

"I don't forget." Daring took the comment personally, scowling. "I'll meet you back at the post office! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some quick business to attend to!" She turned away.

"Wait, ma'am!" Daring stopped to look back at him. "I don't think anyone else is going to show up. You're probably the last customer."

"Well, how can you be sure?" she replied. "You're just going to risk it? What if it's really important; like a priceless artifact?" Her accusatory tone made the clerk back down.

"Oh... I'm sorry." He didn't deal well with confrontations. He scuffed the ground again. "I'll see you there in a while, then. Hurry, please."

"That's what I'm trying to do!" Daring had no time for politeness. Her usual suave, likeable self had been dropped for a more direct approach. "Go! I'll see you ba-"

"I'll pay the rest!" Daring hated to be interrupted, but the offer was generous. "It's only one bit; it's not much!" the clerk assured her. He didn't have the heart to ask her to pay it back.

"Really now?" Daring didn't have time to think about it. This would be far easier. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She started to gallop back towards the post office, quickly leaving the clerk behind.

Great.

More running.

"Wait for me!" he shouted, taking to his hooves and sprinting to catch up. This time, he kept his eyes on the road.

Daring waited for the clerk to appear, tapping her hoof anxiously. "C'mon!" she yelled as she held the door open.

Eventually he plodded in, gasping for breath. He had no idea how some ponies managed it. All this running was certainly not good for anypony, right?

He wandered around to his side of the counter, dropping the stamp-book on the wooden surface. "Okay, let's see here." He pulled off his cap and produced a tiny draw-string purse. "One bit" – he placed it on the counter – "and your thirty-four stamps, please." He waited for Daring to hand them over.

She cleared her throat and motioned to the moistened book.

"Oh, oh yes of course." he stammered, opening it up and tearing out the sheets one by one. Daring chuckled and retrieved the opal. She wrote the send address down on a label. The writing was scruffy, but what could you expect when you held a pen with your teeth?

"So, when will it arrive?" she asked, hoping it wouldn't take too long. The clerk focused on the label, adjusting his glasses.

"I'd say it might take about a week. There will most probably be a transfer, since it's long-distance." he started wrapping up the opal in thick foam. "If you had another twenty bits, you could pay for a Priority Pegasus. That normally shaves a few days off, but it's expens-"

"Yes, I know!" Daring felt like she was being patronised. The clerk backed down again. Daring faced the wall, the gilded slogan catching her eye.

"Rain or shine, eh? Your pegasi fly in the rain? What about storms?" she asked. The weather out on the Western Plains was sometimes wild; almost uncontrollable. She was used to seeing a weather patrol kicking away clouds and such. Unfortunately, the storms were really hard to predict, and built quickly.

"That's what the motto says, miss. We're so dedicated that we will follow our motto to the letter, so to speak." he laughed at his little play on words. Daring didn't find it funny. An awkward silence followed.

"So, uh; thanks for this. The extra bit, I mean."

"Oh, it's nothing!" The clerk smiled, finishing up the wrapping with some strong brown paper. He tied the label around it with some twine.

"It made all the difference, though." Daring was starting to appreciate the little things all the more. Her adventures took her all over the world, and she had seen some of the most excessive, expensive, exaggerated lifestyles history had ever known. It was in her time of need that she truly appreciated that solitary coin.

"Hm, I suppose it did." the clerk agreed. Even the smallest gestures could be worth a lot. He started gluing the stamps to the bulky package.

Daring realised that she hadn't introduced herself. She thought it only fair, considering the clerk's generosity, and the blunt way she had treated him.

"My name's Daring Do, by the way." She left the statement to hang in the air, waiting for his reply.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Do." the clerk responded, continuing to scurry around behind the counter. She waited a little longer, but nothing came of it.

"So, aren't you going to tell me your name?" she asked with a smirk, wondering if this pony had some kind of social anxiety or some other affliction.

He was quiet.

Maybe he didn't hear?

"Mister? What's your name?" She tried to sound polite; not wanting to be too demanding.

"I don't think-" he faced away, trying to hide a blush. "-it's that important. Sorry."

Daring found the way he avoided the question to be quite rude. "Well, that's very friendly of you."

"No, it's not that! It's just-"

"C'mon, it's only your name!" Daring tittered, trying to keep it light hearted. Her patience wouldn't hold forever, though.

"It's too embarrassing." He slid the wrapped opal down a chute, ready to be sorted.

"It's only your name! How can it be embarrassing? I mean, my name-"

"Rayner." he interrupted.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Daring laughed it off, finding it confusing why he had avoided telling her.

"Rayner Shine."

There was a moment of silence before Daring spoke up again. "Really?" She held back a snigger.

"Yes. I know. The motto." Rayner sighed. Somehow he had just fallen in to the job.

"Come rain or come shine the-"

"Yes! I know." Rayner stopped Daring from reciting the motto. It didn't quell the playful grin on her face.

"Aw c'mon, Rayner. It's not that bad. You shouldn't be ashamed of who you are." She reared up and folded her forelegs together on the counter. "Your name doesn't define you, right?"

"You'd think so." The thought had occurred to Rayner a few times before. What if your name did define you? "I mean, you're one of those adventurers, right?"

"'Adventurer' is such a loose term. Archaeologist is probably a better job title." Daring wondered how people kept guessing her profession. It had to be the hat.

"Yes, but to go out in to the wilderness and find priceless artifacts like that big old gem" – Rayner paused and nudged his glasses up his nose – "requires a certain amount of derring do, wouldn't you say?"

Daring stammered as she tried to come up with a reply. Dwelling on such a philosophical question was probably not a good idea. "M-maybe we should just-"

"Wait! Did you hear that?" Rayner cut her off, perking his ears up and looking towards the door. "I think someone's in trouble."

Daring focused, trying to listen.

There it was.

Distant screaming.

Yelling.

Sounds of alarm and commotion.

She ran to the door and shoved it open.

An enormous shadow descended on the whole town, spreading like a flood. It blocked out the sun, bringing with it unnaturally coloured lightning. Flickers of green burned across her retinas, flashing blindingly across every visible surface.

"What's going on!?" Rayner was terrified. He stumbled over his own hooves as he hurried towards Daring. "What in the world-"

A deafening blast of noise made him drop to the floor, clutching at his ears.

Daring stood her ground, trying to get a good idea of what was casting such a shadow.

As the discordant wail ceased, she ran back towards the town square. Rayner, not wanting to be on his own, gave chase. "Wait!" He was determined not to die alone.

"Go back!" Daring yelled. "Hide!"

Rayner kept on running.

"Are you deaf?! Go back!"

Rayner stopped, unsure of what to do. He didn't want to stay still in case something caught him. Turning back, he tried to make it back to the post office. A blinding bolt of energy blasted through a nearby rooftop. Rayner leapt back to avoid the falling rubble as it piled on to the street. There was no way through! He didn't want to risk climbing over the pile, so he fled.

"What are you doing?!" Daring shouted as Rayner caught up. "You're not safe out here!"

Before Rayner could reply, another ear-splitting blast silenced them both. Daring carried on until she reached the town centre, with Rayner in tow. She hoped that the open courtyard would allow a clearer view of the sky, in contrast to the narrow roads.

Ponies were running in every direction, shouting and screaming, hurrying their loved ones away. Some had already managed to pack up some supplies as they made for the main gates. Not stopping to ask anyone what was happening, they tried to get a better look at what was causing this disaster.

The sky was featureless and black; darker than the darkest night she could remember. It was as though the whole city had been swallowed by the Earth itself.

Another blinding flash caught them off-guard. Their ears were ringing from the clap of thunder that followed. The bolt struck the fountain. Olive-green slime oozed down the sides of the ornate structure, replacing the water.

"What's happening?! Daring! What is going on?" Rayner was shaking, grabbing on to Daring for support. "What do we do?!"

She said nothing, shaking him off.

The ooze from the fountain overflowed, beginning its sluggish descent to the cobblestones. The flow showed no signs of slowing, pouring out across the marketplace.

Daring slowly backed off, pushing Rayner along with her flank. "This doesn't look good." Her understatement made Rayner whimper. Any chances he thought he had of survival quickly dwindled.

The slime crept ever closer to their hooves, running through every crevice in the stones. "I think we should probably run now." Rayner suggested, turning to flee. Daring whipped around to grab hold of his short tail with her teeth. He stopped, yelping.

"You're not going anywhere!" Daring shouted after spitting the coarse hair out. "Stay with me!"

"But we're going to die!" he screamed, trying to run away once more. A sudden flood of ooze from somepony's kitchen window blocked his path. It was pouring out of their taps! Everywhere they looked, the sickening, oily gunk replaced every source of water. An old water pump sputtered and spewed thick globs of the slurry across the road.

Hemmed in, he had nowhere left to go. "Daring, help! Do something!"

"Calm down! I got this!" His incessant panicking was driving Daring crazy. She hoped this white lie would help settle his nerves. Really, she had no clue what to do. She felt just as trapped as he did.

Their tiny island of dry land was quickly becoming swamped by the sludge.

Daring felt Rayner squeeze up close to her to avoid it. They were fast running out of space. She thought about flying them out of there, but traces of lightning above their heads made her hold back.

Daring braced herself before the gunk reached her hooves, wondering just how much it was going to hurt. She closed her eyes and held her breath.

She felt nothing.

Opening her eyes again, she saw the slime receding. It flowed back towards the source like the waves on a beach. "What the-" She stopped herself when the ooze began to swell once more; this time upwards. It rose like bread in an oven; a nauseating sucking sound prevailing over the cracks of thunder and falling masonry.

"Daring!" She felt a hoof in her back as Rayner got her attention again. She whirled around, spotting a group of two-legged figures rising from the sea of green.

At first, they were almost formless: mounds growing where their heads should be; limbs dripping with great strands of the viscous fluid. It was horrifying to watch, but fear and confusion made it hard to look away.

If only something could kick-start their escape –

Mouths slurped open one after another; greasy tendrils implying teeth.

– That'd do it.

"Run!" Daring yelled. Rayner didn't need to be told twice.

They galloped as fast as they could, darting around the lumbering creatures. Their clumsy arms swung out as they flew past, missing by a hair.

All around, those who hadn't made it out of the town already were being caught by the unnatural beasts. Screaming, yelling, fighting; it wasn't enough. Most were smothered; disappearing in to the green sludge with nothing more than a bubble to show for it.

"This is awful!" Rayner yelped, breathing hard as he tried to match Daring's pace. She was quick; much quicker than he could manage. "What are we going to do?"

"Anything we can!" Daring was determined not to let the townsfolk down. It was nothing she had ever seen before, but she was Daring Bucking Do, and she was going to fix it.

She slid to a halt as the pile of rubble loomed in front. "We need to get the opal back!" she barked.

Rayner skidded up behind her. "I can't get over! It's too steep!"

Daring tried to find a solution. She worked well under stress, but even this was pushing it. "Okay... uh... uh..." She peered about for ideas.

"Quickly!" Rayner hopped from hoof to hoof in desperation. Daring risked a look behind. The slime monsters were closing in fast. They needed more time!

Daring rummaged through her saddlebags, fetching her lantern and a half-empty box of matches. She bashed the lantern against the floor, shattering the glass. After pouring out a line with the oil that remained, she tossed the broken light aside.

"Stand back!" Daring ordered.

She struck a match, tossing it across the cobblestones. The oil caught spectacularly; a wall of smoky flames leaping up from the road. "This should hold them for a moment! Grab on!"

Taking advantage of a lull in the electrical discharge; Daring left the ground, flapping her wings as hard as she could. Rayner hesitated for a second; he was much more afraid of death than he was of flying, and he despised flying.

"Oh dear. Oh dear!" He steadied himself before leaping up with his forelegs outstretched. Daring pulled him up off of the ground, carrying him over the wreckage and letting him slide down the other side.

Rayner span to a stop as he skittered across a layer of loose rubble. Daring landed firmly beside him. "Let's go! The fire won't stop them for long." She continued down the road, hoping that the mail couriers hadn't already left.

When they arrived back at the post office, Daring bounded in to the court-yard. A few of the sorting staff were holed up in the sorting room. "Rayner!" one of them called out. "What's going on, Rayner? Where have you been?" The sorter sounded panicked; though the relief in his voice was palpable.

"We thought you'd been taken away!" another chipped in.

"No time to explain! I put a package through a few minutes ago. Can you help me find it?" Rayner cantered through the door, tense all over. A pile of brown paper packages stood on a table at the far end of the sorting office.

"Most of the pegasi fled after that shadow swallowed up the town!" the unicorn explained. "Most of them just dropped their bags and got home as fast as they could. I don't really blame them! This is horrible!"

Daring didn't bother to introduce herself; instead making her way over to help Rayner search. "It's got to be here somewhere!" The jittery clerk started to dig through the packages like a dog through mud. The parcels scooted across the floor, making a mess of the office.

"Oh c'mon! It took me all day to get that pile neat and tidy!" a third sorter complained, clopping over to the group and rolling his eyes. "I can't believe y-"

"This is not the time for neatness!" Daring scolded. "I need that package, and you need to get the hay out of here! There are monsters roaming the streets! Coming out of the plumbing!"

The three unicorns glanced at each other to try and figure out if she was joking. "M-ma'am, are you sure?"

Daring didn't have to reply. She went pale as she saw what was rising up behind them. Eyes wide, she pointed a hoof over their shoulders. "Look out!"

They all turned together, screaming in unison as they fled to the furthest point in the office.

The slime monster waded in, pushing heavy wooden shelves over on its way through.

"CRUSH!" the monster bellowed, flipping a heavy table. It flew over Daring's head, narrowly missing Rayner by the width of his ear. Rayner dashed to where the sorters were cowering, trying to put as much distance between him and it as possible.

"Rayner, did you find it?" Daring called over to him, keeping an eye on the monster while she avoided a powerful strike.

"Are you crazy?!" Rayner shouted. "Get away from it!"

"I need that – " Daring ducked under another grimy fist. " – opal back!" She scrambled in to the pile, diving away from yet another wayward arm.

"BREAK!" the monster gargled in frustration after missing yet another punch.

Daring retrieved the package covered in stamps. Thirty-five stamps, to be exact. "I got-" She stopped when she found herself under threat from a new plan. The creature tried to grab her this time!

"Get out of there!" a sorter wailed, not wanting this stranger to fall prey to the terrifying creation.

"BREAK NOW!" It was too late. A cold hand, reeking of all things unpleasant, wrapped itself around Daring's neck.

"Urk-" was all she could manage. The fingers squeezed ever tighter, pressing down on her trachea. "Helbbp!" she croaked; flailing her legs, trying to break free.

All four of the post office staff stood perfectly still. None of them could pluck up the courage to save her; yet, if they couldn't, she was a goner.

Sounds of choking urged them on.

A decision had to be made!

Gritting his teeth, Rayner growled from the back of his throat; building up to a shout. "rrr-You let her go!" She had already saved his life today. Now it was time to repay the favour!

He picked up speed; charging towards the slimy creature. Its eyeless head turned to face him just in time to not-see the earth pony's head smash in to its midriff. It was surprisingly solid. Rayner bounced off, suddenly victim of a headache.

The creature howled and let go of Daring. That was all she needed.

Turning around, she bucked hard; her hooves splashing through the olive-coloured paste and knocking the creature back. It stumbled over a toppled shelf, landing in a pool of goo that it had trailed in. Upon landing in the slurry, it seemingly dissolved; melting and adding to the pool.

Taking just a second to gather his thoughts, and unifying his vision, Rayner straightened up his glasses. "Is... Is that it?" He grabbed for his hat, swishing some of the slop off of it. "Is it gone?" He was none too sure.

"I th-...think so." Daring panted hard, finally able to breathe again. She quickly grabbed the parcel and stuffed it in to whatever space she still had in her saddlebags. Daring stepped around the puddle and left the building.

"Where are you going?!" Rayner called after her.

"Away from this town!" Her reply was dismissive. She needed to get away and figure what was going on. Being in such a danger zone was not great for thinking.

"What about me?" Rayner whined. He had no intention of staying, but he had seen just how dangerous life with Daring Do could be. After a quick moment of self-reflection, he hopped over the pool of green sludge and caught up. He heard the door close behind him.

Daring looked back over her shoulder. "You're going to follow me? Why not stay back at the post office?" she asked. Rayner guessed that the sorters were going to stay at the post office. It was big enough, and emergency rations were always on hand for tired, hungry pegasi back from their round.

"I don't think it's all that safe in there. We don't even know if that slime was going to grow in to one of... them... again." He shuddered at the thought. Daring tried not to think about what was possibly happening in the sorting room.

"Look; maybe you should come with me. This town is not safe. I bet the city ain't either."

"But Hoofcastle is a giant fort! It's probably the biggest castle in the world! Surely whatever it is hasn't made it that far yet."

"Do you think they'll open their gates to let us in, if they risk letting them in too?" Her question was rhetorical, but Rayner answered anyway.

"I guess not..."

After an awkward silence and some brisk trotting, Daring had to make sure of something.

"So, the main gates aren't too far, right?"

"Yes'm. I hope they're still open!" Rayner wanted nothing more in the world than to leave Saddleton. He wanted to get as far away as physically possible from the nameless, eyeless horrors that were terrorising the town. They made sure to stick to the quiet alleys, away from the main roads. It had served them well for a few minutes; not seeing a single creature since they defeated the monster at the sorting office.

It wasn't long before the alleys ran out, and the only option left was to cross the town square. Hiding in the shadows and lying in wait; they watched as drab green freaks patrolled. They slithered around the outside edge of the square; waiting to pounce on any remaining ponies that dared show themselves.

Those who had already been captured were now sitting in circular rows around the fountain. They were cemented in to place by thick goop around their hooves; silenced by makeshift mucous gags. Above the crowd, strong wing-beats sounded.

"Hey, everybody! How's it goin'?" The voice was charismatic and smug. It was casual and conversational. It was inviting, with a drop of honey. It was unmistakeably evil.

"Who is-" Rayner began. Daring wrapped her foreleg around his head and covered his mouth.

"Shh!" she hushed into his ear.

"This is a nice town you got here! I could enjoy ruling this one!" The flying figure was a griffon. "Oh, I forgot! I didn't mention it, but: this is my town now." He laughed coolly, brushing his olive birds feet against the lime-tinted, green-tipped white feathers growing on his chest and neck. His coat was purple, getting darker towards his lions' feet and tail. The griffon was obviously a magic user. He manipulated the slime monsters with his talons like marionettes; a sickly green glow around his long fingers. There was something odd about this griffon; most notably the colours, but that wasn't what was bothering Daring.

No; there was something else.

A picture of a silver jug on his flank?

Was that a cutie-mark?

He introduced himself.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts; it's with great pleasure I introduce you to your new leader: Sterling Silver!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Here we go! This is the topsoil starts sailing fan-wards. Rayner Shine is introduced as Daring's accidental sidekick, a sentient ooze takes over the town and a species-confused griffon is behind it all!_

_I hope to develop Sterling Silver over the next few weeks as I add more chapters to the story._

_Here's something to go on for now:_

_When I was writing his dialogue, I imagined someone suave and charismatic. I've been playing a lot of Borderlands 2 recently, so he could sound like Handsome Jack, or Hades (James Woods) from Disney's Hercules._

_The best villain voices are the ones that make you unsure as to whether you hate them or want to be their friends._

_Hope you are enjoying it so far! Don't forget to leave a review if you have an criticism. I will take all criticism (provided it is constructive), so don't be shy; let me have it!_

PS: This story is over on fimfic now. It means I can embed images in to the story, should I need them!

_-Sy_


	3. Purple Prose part 1

**Purple Prose**

**Part 1**

She couldn't believe that she'd never been there before. It was a quaint bookshop inside the glorious walls of the fortress city of Canterlot; tucked away in a quiet, well-lit back-alley. The crown glass windows were coated in a thin layer of dust, dampening the daylight that filtered in. The light showed up as faint rays in the air, making the rest of the shop seem much darker by contrast.

She trotted in, pushing open the ornate oak door. A bell jangled merrily, bringing her to the attention of the elderly shopkeeper. He smiled and nodded politely, letting her go about her business.

She made her way through the crooked stacks of hardback volumes; overflowing boxes and stuffed shelves that stretched to the ceiling. It was messy, but at the same time as neat as could be. It was a sort of organised shambles. It reminded her of the Ponyville library on a good day.

Levitating the book she sought off of its high shelf, she blew some of the dust away. Quantum Magicanics and Its Use in Modern Spell-casting by Red Herring. She struggled to wrap her head around the finer points of theoretical magic, but she had been meaning to read it as part of her research, and this was the updated version. She quickly flicked through it, sampling the first few pages to get a feel for the way it was written.

Tiny font.

Big words.

Vague diagrams.

To any other pony, reading such a book would have been difficult; perhaps too difficult, but not too difficult for Twilight Sparkle.

After paying for her new book, she bid farewell to the shopkeeper and wandered back outside. Her friend Rainbow Dash was waiting for her. "Ugh, finally!" she complained; her husky voice tinged with frustration. "You were in there forever." Twilight frowned.

"I was in there for about five minutes." Rainbow pouted and folded her forelegs, hovering a few feet above the ground.

"Well it felt like forever." Before Twilight could get another word in, Rainbow carried on. "I don't know why I had to come to Canterlot with you, anyway."

"You didn't have to; not at all. You wanted to come, remember?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. Apparently, Rainbow Dash had selective recollection.

"No! Well, yes; I mean maybe I said that, but-"

"Let's just go, okay?"

"Fine."

Twilight set off through the back-alley towards the main street. Rainbow sluggishly flapped along behind her. She thought that she was going to get a chance to do something exciting. When Twilight asked her if she wanted to help with some research on 'cutting-edge technology'; books were not the first things to cross her mind.

"Okay, so we'll head back to the castle and get to work taking notes. We need to at least get a summary of this book written out by next week, then we can-"

"Twilight." Rainbow interrupted.

"Yes? What is it?" Twilight asked with mild annoyance.

"Do you really think we could do that in just one week?" Rainbow dreaded the long hours ahead.

"I am perfectly confident that we could get the basic principals of this book down in just one day, if we put our minds to it." Twilight tried to reassure the pegasus looming over her shoulder, but she was still definitely in a bad mood.

"That book is so long though!" Rainbow wailed, throwing her head back dramatically. "It's gotta have like a million words in it or something." Twilight looked at the spine of the book poking out of her saddlebag.

"No, Rainbow Dash; it's not going to be that many words." She laughed, hoping that taking the light-hearted approach would raise her friend's spirits. "Definitely not a million. More like two-hundred thousand." A pained groan was the immediate reply.

"Really? Two-hundred thousand words? And you want to sum it up in a few pages?"

"Only the basics." Twilight shrugged, not seeing what the big deal was.

"Look, Twilight. I can barely wrap my head around basic magic; let alone Quilted Magic Can Tricks-"

"Quantum Magicanics." Twilight corrected her.

"- or whatever it is."

"So, are you going to help me or not?" Twilight had almost reached the end of her rope on this issue. Rainbow had been whining non-stop since they arrived in Canterlot. Rainbow had to think very carefully about her reply. It wasn't something she normally did, but a sharp edge to Twilight's voice was enough to make her stop and take notice.

"I...It's not like I don't want to help you, Twilight. I just don't think I'll be able to." Twilight stood still. Rainbow sailed past her and circled around to get a look at her face. "I'm just not as smart as you." When the unicorn didn't respond, Rainbow worried. "I mean, I'd probably hold you back in your research and stuff." Still no reply. "You are so much better at all of this than I am."

"Just save your breath, Rainbow Dash." Twilight trotted on ahead, trying to pick up some speed. Rainbow kept up with her. "Do whatever you want." The hurt in her friend's voice stung more than she anticipated. It slowed her down to a crawl; only able to watch as Twilight continued out to the street and turned out of sight.

She had really messed up on this one.

"Twilight! Wait!" she yelled, suddenly zooming after her. After she quickly caught up, she tried to make amends. "I'm sorry Twilight. I promise I'll do what I said I'd do."

"I don't want to make you do something that you don't want to do." Twilight glared ahead as she carried on her way.

"C'mon Twilight. I'm sorry; really. I said I'd help and I'm going to help you." Her apologies were blanked. "Please, let me make it up to you!" She wanted to nip this in the bud before it got out of hand.

"All you have done is complain since we got off the train!" Twilight lost her cool, yelling at the top of her lungs. She blushed and peered around to make sure nobody was watching.

They were.

"Please, Twilight. I'm sorry. I'll do anything to make it up to you." Rainbow begged, pressing her front hooves together. Twilight stood still in the street, trying to look smaller. Her little outburst had turned a few heads and she was starting to feel self-conscious. Quietly, she replied:

"Anything?"

"Yes, anything! I don't want you to be mad at me." Rainbow looked hopeful.

"Will you please help me do my research?"

* * *

Back at their room in the castle, Rainbow Dash and Twilight set to work trying to summarise the enormous volume. Stacks of notepaper adorned various desks and lecterns, and Quantum Magicanics lay open between them on the floor.

Twilight scribbled furiously with a quill, pausing occasionally to replenish her ink. She uttered the odd thoughtful hum, sticking her tongue out as she thought hard about what to write and what to omit.

Rainbow Dash focused hard on the tiny font in the book; staring as though concentration would somehow squeeze a meaning from them. It was no use. She held a pencil between her teeth, ready to write at a moment's notice, but it never arose. She shook her head. Twilight was counting on her. She needed to get at least something done or this trip would have been for nothing.

_Start at the beginning. That's the right way._

She read each word with deliberation, rolling the meaning around in her head. Over and over it tumbled, flying high over turning gears. _It soared higher in the clouds; punching through the soft white wisps of cooling vapour. The sight from up there was incredible; what she lived for. It was so beautiful; the green and yellow fields stretching for miles. Mountains in the distance beckoned, begging to be explored. And explore she would, with the blue sky above her and the sunny land of Equestria below. The good weather showed no signs of giving up. A dazzling rainbow stretched from horizon to horizon._

_A rainbow._

_Rainbow._

_Rainbow..._

"Rainbow! Rainbow Dash!" Twilight's voice brought her back down with a thump.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, Twilight I wasn't-"

"-concentrating." Twilight frowned. This was turning out to be more hassle than she had anticipated. She looked down at the paper in front of her friend. "Rainbow; you've not written anything!"

"Have too!" Rainbow Dash tried to defend herself.

"We've been here for an hour and this is all you could come up with?" Twilight levitated the page in front of her friend's face. A highly detailed 'The' adorned the top-left corner, with intricate shading and patterns woven between the letters.

"An hour?" Rainbow flopped a hoof dismissively. "Nah, it's not been an hour. We've only just sat-" Twilight cut her off, pointing to the clock on the wall, then to the small stack of neatly piled notes in front of her.

"An hour." Her scowl was quite terrifying. Ponies never usually saw Twilight Sparkle angry. Then again, it was easy to mistake her anger for simple annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Twilight; I am. I just don't get this book at all!" Rainbow was trying her best to sound distraught. "I want to help; I really do, but it's just so hard!" For a moment, she was unsure whether Twilight was going to yell; bracing herself.

After a stony silence, her face softened. She sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I'm probably just expecting too much of you. Your talent lies in athletics, and I keep forgetting that I've been studying this for a lot longer than most." Rainbow Dash kept quiet. "I guess I just wanted somepony to help because I really wanted some company."

"What about Spike?"

"He'd already planned to help Rarity find some gems this week." Twilight answered with a smile and a slight eye roll. Rainbow chuckled.

"Boys." They shared a laugh at the dragon's expense.

Twilight stood and stretched our her legs. "How about we go and get something to eat? Then we'll come back and figure out what we're going to do."

"That sounds good." Rainbow stretched as well, feeling a crick in her neck. "We should totally get the cooks to make us a feast!" she suggested with a mischievous grin.

"No, I've got a better idea." Rainbow looked disappointed. "We'll go to a little place where I used to eat when I lived in Canterlot."

"Okay, but can we at least abuse our position just once before we go?" The question made Twilight turn to face Rainbow Dash with a look of suspicion.

"Excuse me?"

"It's just something I always wanted to do. Room service to the extreme." Rainbow's hopeful expression was almost too much to bear.

"We'll see." Twilight replied after a short pause; a smirk turning up at the corner of her mouth.

* * *

When they returned an hour later; full to bursting but content, they both sat down next to the book once more. "That was great!" Rainbow beamed. "I've not eaten like that for ever! It's funny though; I never really liked those red peppers much before."

"I know; it's just so good. And cheap too; so there's that." Twilight chuckled quietly. "Brought back so many pleasant memories."

"So, when should we get back to work?" Rainbow asked. "Where do I start?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." Twilight waved her off casually. "I could tell you were getting pretty distracted."

"You're not mad, are you?" Rainbow Dash felt as though she'd let her friend down.

"Well, I was," her ears dipped, "but not any more." They perked up again. "I know I shouldn't expect you to be doing quantum magicanics; it's hard enough for me, and I've read up on the basic theory for months."

"So, what do I do now? Our train back is not for six more days." Rainbow asked; wondering what use she was to her friend now.

"You could just fly home, if you want." Twilight didn't see the suggestion as being something difficult. She knew Rainbow Dash loved flying above all else, so she thought she would jump at the idea. Something didn't sit well, however.

"I dunno, Twilight. I wouldn't want to leave you all alone up here. It's super boring." She looked down at the book and snorted.

"Oh? And what will you do while I'm working?" the unicorn asked. "You going to just sit there?"

"I guess I'll think of something."

She was grateful of her companion's commitment to making sure she didn't get lonely. It was noble indeed. Of course, she shouldn't have expected anything less from the Element of Loyalty. "Thank you Rainbow Dash. You are a true friend." Twilight put a hoof on her friend's shoulder.

After some silently implied thanks, Twilight got back to work. She settled down in one corner of the room with her book, quill and a stack of unwritten papers.

Rainbow Dash meandered over to her bed and slumped down on to it. It was definitely more comfortable than the floor. Princess Celestia certainly knew the right place to get her mattresses from; it was like sleeping on a cloud, or perhaps even better.

She stayed for a while, just listening to the scratching of quill on parchment and the occasional clink of the ink bottle. It was quite soothing.

She let her mind wander.

_Rainbow Dash was back in the sky once more; flitting from cloud to cloud; cumulus to cirrus. She laughed and cheered as she soared above the land, swooping from great heights. It was the rush she always craved. It wasn't long before she realised she wasn't alone. Sharing her merriment was an old friend. At least, she thought it was an old friend. A dark grey mane and tail stood out against her golden coat. They flew together, challenging each to perform better than the other. It was exhilarating and liberating; finally having a friend to compete against. Back in Ponyville, nobody could match Rainbow's speed or finesse, but now even she was having a hard time keeping up._

_The other pegasus had a sweet hat too._

Her eyes opened again; she must have been dreaming. Lying comfortably on her back, she glanced up at the clock. She was out cold for about thirty minutes.

_Only thirty minutes?_

She stretched out her forelegs and grunted as she felt the muscles flex. "Must have been tired after lunch." she uttered to herself. Twilight paid no notice; feverishly working on her Quadrangle Marsh Manics or whatever it was called.

It'd only been half an hour, and Twilight was probably going to be working for another few hours at least. Rainbow didn't want to just sleep the day away; knowing that she'd have to sleep at night too. The thought of what to do next escaped her; leading to nothing but blank frustration. Peering about the room, she tried to draw inspiration from her surroundings.

It was no use.

Nothing but paper, pens and expensive-looking décor.

Her mind went back to the dream she was having. It was vague, but she could draw back the main points of it in to her imagination. It was about Daring Do, she was sure.

She thought of going to look through the library for the series, but she had already read them all. It would probably have been too much effort.

Nothing but paper, pens and...

_Paper and pens! That's it!_

If she couldn't read a new Daring Do novel, she would write one of her own.

It was going to be the best Daring Do novel ever written.

Rainbow Dash reached for the stack of paper she was using before, discarding the top sheet so she could start fresh. Flipping over on to her stomach, she started scribbling down the first lines of her masterpiece; pencil putting her mind to the page.

Twilight paused to take a quick break; feeling her mind starting to tire of the complex magical science in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she put the quill down, giving her magic a rest.

The sounds of writing continued.

It took a moment for the thought to click, but when it did, she looked over to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow was sprawled out on her bed; eyes darting this way and that as she kept on scrawling the pencil across the page. It looked as though she was concentrating very hard. Twilight became aware of her softly speaking her way through a sentence as she wrote.

She quietly made her way over to look at what Rainbow was writing.

"You found something to do. That's great, Rainbow Dash." The pegasus almost leapt off of the bed in fright. The pencil clattered across the floor.

"Twilight! You startled me!" She ruffled her wings and slumped back down on the blankets.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have disturbed you." Twilight felt bad for having scared her, but Rainbow was very rarely scared, so she hadn't anticipated it.

"No, it's okay." She sighed, flicking an ear.

"What are you writing, by the way?" Twilight looked over at the papers on her pillow. There was a page already completed, and another page with roughly a hundred words written. "Is it a story?"

Rainbow felt suddenly embarrassed. She knew she wasn't the best at writing, and having an egghead like Twilight around was bound to show that. "It's nothing. Just scribbles, really." She placed her forelegs over the pages to try and obscure them.

"Oh, c'mon Rainbow; I'm just curious." Twilight smiled to try and soften her up.

"No, it's nothing!" Rainbow pulled the pages against her chest, crumpling the paper slightly.

"Hey, don't screw it up." Twilight plucked the paper out of her grip using her magic. Rainbow panicked. "You should be proud of what you do." A soft giggle punctuated her last sentence, showing her good intentions. The pegasus didn't fight it; waiting with a blush on her cheeks as Twilight read.

Her smile slowly wilted as she tried to make head or tail of the text. "Uhm, it's..." was all she managed before Rainbow rolled over and off the other side of the bed.

"I know; it's bad."

"It's really not that bad." Twilight walked around to see her friend slumped on the floor. Something in her voice was uncertain.

"Really?" Rainbow asked, looking up hopefully.

"Well... okay, yeah it's pretty bad." Rainbow flopped down again, avoiding eye contact. "The idea is great though!" Twilight tried in earnest to take back what she'd said. "It just needs a bit of sprucing up." Rainbow stayed still.

"I don't know how, Twilight. I suck at writing." The self-pity was obvious. Rainbow Dash never liked to be second-best at anything. She regretted even starting the story.

"You don't." Before she was even able to think about it, Twilight made an offer. "I'll help you, if you want." Rainbow looked up at her.

"Really? You'll help me write it?" She sat up attentively. She had so many ideas in her head, but was struggling to put them across.

"I... I guess so." Twilight looked over to her textbook. "I suppose I've already done a lot of work today."

"Thanks Twilight!" Rainbow jumped up and hugged her friend, squeezing just a little too tight. Twilight choked.

"No problem." she rasped. After Rainbow Dash let her go, Twilight continued. "I have to say, I really like the idea of the plot, but the pacing is all over the place."

"Pacing?" Rainbow tipped her head. Twilight tried to think of a way of putting it in to perspective.

"Well, pacing... Pacing is like... You know, when you run a race, you don't want to tire yourself out too much; right?" Rainbow nodded. "Well, it's the same in writing. You need to spread out your plot points a bit to keep the reader interested. Don't rush ahead too early."

"Got it."

"So, where you've got Daring suddenly confronting a bad guy, that's too fast." Twilight pointed at the first paragraph. "There should be a build up before you introduce him, in my opinion." Rainbow nodded again. "And maybe we shouldn't make him a draconequus. Just a suggestion."

"Right." The only bad guy that Rainbow could think of was Discord.

"And maybe– " Twilight drew out the 'maybe' to emphasise it. "– you shouldn't put yourself in to the story either." She smiled, trying to appeal.

"I guess so." Rainbow was quiet for a moment. "So, how do you think it should start?" Twilight thought on it.

"Well, she's on her way to this big city. We can come up with a city name later. I'm sure we can figure something out."

"Well, this is still a work in progress, right?" Rainbow Dash sounded a lot more hopeful now.

Twilight read the top line again. "Maybe it should go something like: 'She couldn't believe that she'd never been there before...'"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So, here it is.

Chapter 3... or 1... or part 0... I don't even...

Whatever.

This is something I've been planning since the start, anyway. I wanted to tag on something about RD and Twilight writing Rain or Shine as an Epilogue, but I figured it would probably be better to write two stories in parallel instead.

I really like the idea of keeping them as one story with alternate chapters. If you really wanted to, you could skip Purple Prose all together, or Rain or Shine.

It will only contain references to previous chapters of Rain or Shine, so don't worry about spoilers.

Hope you like it, anyway. I had fun writing it!

Don't forget, you can check out this story over in fimfic too.

-Sy


	4. Part 1: Play of Colour - Ch3

**Daring Do -in- Rain or Shine**

**Part 1: Play of Colour**

**Chapter 3: Silver Tongue**

"Sterling Silver?" Rayner hissed, looking to Daring for an answer. "That's not a griffon name."

"I know, I know." She tried to keep him quiet. "We need to get out of here. We can talk about this later." She looked about for a way to get across the town square. "It's no good. How are we going to get across?" They ducked down and waited as one of the slime creatures slurped past.

"I have no idea. I don't usually have to cross the street through– " he gulped, "– an army of monsters."

Daring peered around the alleyway for some ideas. Clothes left out to dry, an old bathtub, a refuse pile, several barrels... She wondered what could be in the barrels. Lifting the lid, she peered in to it. "Blegh; spinach." She fished out a glob of the green slop. "Why do they keep it in brine like this? It's bad enough fresh."

Rayner grimaced. "It looks like..." His face lit up. "I have an idea." Daring looked him up and down with a confused expression that morphed to a look of shock as Rayner shoved his head beneath her chest.

"Rayner!" she hissed, "What are you doing?" Before he could answer, he toppled the hapless explorer against the barrel. It collapsed as she fell to the ground, splattering the soggy spinach all over. She tried not to scream as he began spreading the slimy leaves around, covering her head to hoof. "Rayner!" she growled, "I am going to kick you so-" She fell silent again as another foul creature slithered by.

They lay perfectly still until the horror was out of earshot. It was then that Daring took her chance, lashing out with a back leg and knocking Rayner away. The hapless clerk stumbled back, giving her space. "What do you think you are doing?" Daring snapped.

"I... uh... you look... like them." He nodded to the marketplace. The slowly amassing army of slime creatures was gradually filling up the cobbles, ready to do their master's bidding.

"What? That's a horrible thing to..." The penny dropped. "... I do look like them, don't I?" She groped around for a sizeable chunk of the wet spinach and tossed it at Rayner's face. It splattered across snout, leaving green ooze hanging from his chin. His shocked yelp would have given the game away, if it weren't for another crack of thunder at just the right moment. The look on his face was definitely worth it. "Don't just stand there; we've got a show to put on, and you still need a costume."

It didn't take long for them to become shambling, formless horrors, not with the amount of spinach they dredged up. "We need to go now, before the crowd gets too dense." Daring took a deep breath, "are you ready?"

"When my life is on the line, I am ready for anything." Rayner gulped, adjusting a particularly long spinach stem as it slipped from his ear. "I just wish my stomach was up to it."

Butterflies. Always with the butterflies. Daring forgot just how nervous she had been the first time she had attempted something completely stupid. She was always one for the great outdoors and adventures, but Rayner was just a city pony. He spent so long avoiding fresh air, she wondered if he was allergic to it.

Daring silently nodded, then stepped out in to the open. She matched the pace of the horde as they lined up. She took a moment just to ensure Rayner was following close behind, peering over her shoulder. The clerk was shaking visibly, but staying close; he most certainly didn't want to get lost.

There it was; the road to the gate. No more than fifty yards stood between them and their freedom, if the horrors ended outside the town palisade at least. They hadn't been spotted at all and they were closing the gap. Forty-five yards, forty yards, thirty-five yards. A mass of the glistening monsters slurped in to view from a neighbouring street. They filled the road towards the gate and lurched towards the marketplace. If Daring didn't think fast, they'd be trapped in the crowd.

Rayner quietly whimpered, pulling up alongside Daring. "What do we do?" The pegasus tried not to panic as she took everything in. She moved slowly to avoid arousing any suspicion.

"Follow me." She ducked behind a partly wrecked market stall, hiding behind the windswept canvas that fluttered in the strong breeze. "We wait til they pass, then we slip by when none are watching." She put a hoof to Rayner's mouth as the clerk tried to speak. "No sound."

There was a bright green flicker. Another crash of thunder rattled through their bones, followed by the gut-wrenching sound of falling masonry as a wall on the far side of the square collapsed. Daring watched from their hiding place as a third column of Sterling's army filed through the gap, soaking up some of the rubble as they passed. It slowly surfaced under a thick film of olive-coloured sludge, now as much a part of them as the stench. She hid herself, waiting for the passing mob to present a gap.

The wind suddenly fell silent, leaving behind the faint bubbling, slurping sound of the animated rabble. Daring risked another glance to check for an opening. She quickly returned, looking to Rayner with wide eyes.

"What? Are we good to go?" Rayner followed suit, checking to see if the coast was clear. "Nope." he squeaked, shrinking back in to the stall.

"Aw c'mon you guys; don't look so shocked!" the voice of Sterling Silver echoed around the town. "Just because they're under my control, it doesn't make them completely brainless." The griffon laughed, flying overhead and perching on the roof of a nearby shop. He looked down on the spinach-coated ponies with a glint in his eye and an evil smirk tugging at one corner of his wicked beak. "Leafy greens? Really? You really thought you could get away from me that easily?" He puffed out his chest and gave another hearty chuckle. "Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Sterling Silver, and this town belongs to me." He leant forward and put a front foot up to his mouth, talking in a loud whisper. "That means you, too."

"Run." Daring commanded, not waiting for Rayner as she leapt up and sprinted away. She was quickly intercepted by a wall of loose bricks. It seemingly came out of nowhere, held up in tendrils of goo. It was the wall from across the marketplace; Sterling must have known they were there the whole time.

"Oh that's cute. You know what? I like you; you're resourceful and determined. You'd make a great general, you know; I could give you that position, if you wanted it." He snapped his claws and a green light shimmered around the spinach on Daring's head. It took on a life of its own and folded itself in to the shape of a helmet, displacing her hat. "Or an advisor." The helmet gave way to a turban, knocking the hat to the floor. Daring swiped at her head, flicking the soppy greens away. She perched her hat back on top, glaring at the cocky villain with as much hostility as she could muster.

"Well, my first advice to you would be: leave this town while you have the chance." She had barely finished her sentence when Sterling began howling with laughter.

"Excuse me, but was that a threat? Ha! A real, genuine, bonafide threat?"

"I wouldn't want to hang around long enough to find out, if I were you." Daring knew it was a poor move, but she was out of options; nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, no way to fight. "Leave this city and never come back, or you will be-" Green sparks enveloped her legs and before she could finish her sentence, flipping her over. Landing hard, she yelped, feeling a splitting pain through her head.

"Sorry?" Sterling laughed again; he hadn't had this much fun in a long time. "Normally ponies just run away, but I really like your audacity; you've really brightened my day." His compliments were so barbed that they could well have been roses. "Tell ya what; I've got a very special plan for you, miss. You and your myopic pal can be my court jesters: a comedy duo!"

"Oh no." Rayner murmured, shrinking back further.

"You won't get away with this!" Daring shouted, her voice strained by the pressure in her head.

"I already have." Sterling clicked his claws yet again, encompassing the two helpless ponies in a lime-green bubble. "Come along now."

It took just a moment to reach Hoofcastle; Sterling carried them high up over the fortress walls and paraded them through the streets of the enormous city, letting the dark storm clouds roll over after them. Ponies fled left and right as the army of slithering horrors barrelled through their homes. "I do love the sound of screaming in the afternoon; don't you?" the griffon asked. He got no reply. "What's the matter grumpy-pants?" He put on a voice that brought Daring back to her childhood, and she hated him for it. She had given up her struggle, deciding to bide her time until she could put a stop to this nonsense once and for all. Still, that didn't stop her from having a few sarcastic pot-shots.

"Just sad that you're having such a nice time." she jabbed. "I mean, I have so many friends already that I don't need to make some soulless nightmares to keep me company. Still, it looks like fun."

"Droll." Sterling rolled his eyes, flipping the two captive equines over in the process; the sudden lurch was sickening, shutting Daring up instantly. "You need to work on your material; a court jester needs a good routine and a sharp wit, but I'm afraid you don't quite tick those boxes."

He let them stew in their helplessness for a while, watching and cackling as the last few ponies fled, or at least attempted to flee before being engulfed in a tidal wave of aggressive sludge. It was obvious to Daring that this griffon was far-gone; something wasn't right at all, not least the colour of his coat and his feathers.

As they reached the castle on an embankment in the middle of the city, they encountered an obstacle. The military was out in force, forming columns up every approaching street. The stallions and mares stood their ground, scowling from under their plume-adorned helmets. Sergeants and captains paced up and down the ranks, barking last-minute orders to prepare their soldiers for the worst. The unicorns were armed with spears and shields; earth ponies bore blades, bound to their forelegs, and in some cases their hind legs, by reinforced sleeves. Pegasi hovered in place, ready to scatter spike-traps and darts to stop the advancing mob, but the look of uncertain terror on their face told of their apprehension. They knew, as the hostile army approached, that they were most certainly not solid and that their weapons would be useless.

The general stood at the front on the main street. He called up to the fast-closing griffon, "Halt; stay where you are and call off your minions!" He glared angrily, hoping that intimidation would work at such a distance.

"Did you hear that? Sounds like he said 'let me meet all of your minions.'" Sterling flapped his wings to steady himself, halting just as the general had ordered.

"Please, you don't have to do this." Rayner cut in. Daring watched in horror, knowing that the guards would not stand a chance.

"Actually, you're right, my faithful colt; I really don't have to do this, but ya see... I just really, really, really want to." Sterling's nonchalant attitude made them both sick to their stomachs; the way he enjoyed bringing so much chaos and misery in to ponies' lives was disgraceful. Worse still, there was nothing they could do about it.

Sterling gave the signal, sending wave after wave of his goons in to the steadfast army. They scattered ponies left and right, making some break rank to retreat. The ones who stayed were quickly swallowed up in the mass, disappearing from the face of the planet. The commanding officers yelled and screamed, trying to keep their troops in order, but a few of the smarter sergeants knew it was all too late. They fled, taking their remaining troops with them, but Sterling Silver's army was too fast for them, cutting them off at cross-roads and mopping up the remaining victims.

Rayner tried to break through the green bubble that surrounded them; he shouted for Sterling to stop, to call them off, but it was useless. "No; you monster!" He was terrified, absolutely dumbstruck by the griffon's ruthlessness.

Sterling didn't look back, replying as he orchestrated his attack. "But I'm just like you; if that makes me a monster then-"

"You are nothing like us!" Daring butted in. "You're not even a pony for a start!" This struck a nerve; the mass stopped moving as Sterling broke his concentration.

"Don't... tell me what I am!" his anger peaked dramatically as he pressed his beak up against their glowing prison. "You don't get to tell me who I am, because I know exactly who and what I am! Got that?"

Daring didn't answer; she was too distracted by the quickly approaching rainbow streak. Before Sterling realised what she was looking at, he was struck hard in the ribs. "Take that!" the sky-blue pegasus barked as she slammed her helmet-clad head in to the griffon's chest. Sterling flailed as he tried to stay airborne, losing his focus for just long enough. Daring kicked at the force field as hard as she could, sending a humming ripple across the surface. The green ball flickered before she kicked it again, punching a hole straight through. The sphere shattered like glass, sparkling and fizzling out of existence.

"Daring!" Rayner squealed as he plummeted towards the hard ground.

"I gotcha!" she shouted as she grabbed him around the stomach. She beat her wings hard, bringing them gently to earth. There was no time to thank their saviour; with Sterling still winded and his entire army at their backs, they chanced their escape. "Now, run!"

They bolted down the main street towards Hoofcastle's main gate, flying by wrecked shop-fronts and stripped trees as they pounded across the stones. They didn't dare to look behind as they pushed forward. Daring guessed that Sterling would be too pre-occupied with retaliation to bother capturing them again, but she wasn't going to hang around to find out.

"Why is this happening to me?" Rayner bleated, terrified and exhausted.

"Because you didn't get swallowed by that weird gunk!" Daring called over her shoulder, checking to make sure he was keeping up. Rayner didn't complain any further, accepting his current situation as a lesser of two evils; it definitely sounded better to be alive and running than to be dead, or worse.

They kept up the pace for as long as they could, but their energy soon ran short. "Daring, I need to rest." Rayner limped up to the adventurer as she slowed down, eventually collapsing in to a heap on the Saddleton cobbles.

"We can't hang around forever, Rayner; we should keep going."

"Sterling isn't following us; he's back in the city." The mail pony pointed skyward. "Look, that cloud is following him; the skies are a little clearer over the town." They could make out faint green flickers of lightning reflected from the dark cumulus that boiled overhead. "I bet he's held up with the soldiers."

"I hope you're right, Rayner, but I hate to think what's happening to those poor ponies right now." She hadn't made any thought as to what happened to those caught by the slime monsters, but the many possibilities made her squirm with unease. She assessed the situation, wanting to help as many of the citizens as she could; she couldn't help but think that this was partly her fault somehow. "Maybe... maybe we should check for, uhm... survivors." She paused before choosing the last word, unsure if it was a good assumption. "Maybe there are ponies here that we can help?"

"Maybe we shouldn't hang around too long, after all." Rayner started to feel as though leaving was indeed the best option; the concept of locating survivors, only to be caught by the power-mad griffon once more brought his fears to the surface again.

"No, you are right; we're not being followed. We need to look for survivors; it's the right thing to do!"

Daring headed out towards the marketplace, all but forcing the helpless stallion to follow her. There were a few ponies in the street, trying to salvage their stalls. Some were calling out the names of their loved ones, and others were weeping inconsolably. "This is terrible." Rayner murmured. "These poor ponies; they've lost everything." He removed his cap as a mark of respect, bowing his head to a crying mare as she feverishly searched for her son.

"Where is everypony else? If any of them didn't make it," Daring lowered her voice. "then where are the bodies?"

"I don't know, but do you suppose the slime things ate them?"

"I don't think they need to eat, or do much of anything else either." Daring sighed, walking to the fountain. It was bone-dry, scattered with specks of foul-smelling grease. "How can we-"

"Howay pet!" a familiar voice caught her attention. "Is it deed yee?" She whipped around to see Joy Hawking galloping across the square. "It is ye, pet; oh ha' happy Ah am tuh see ye!" She threw her forelegs around Daring and Rayner, pulling them both close together in a tight hug. "Ah wes see worreed; Ah thowt Ah'd nivvor git out iv there alive." She was quite visibly shaken; her hair was matted with the horrid grunge of Sterling's army, and grazes covered her legs.

"Joy, it's so great to see that you're okay!" Rayner chimed.

"You two know each other?" Daring found the coincidence to be quite odd.

"Well, we do live in the same town."

"Aye, Saddleton ma be a muckle toon, but it feels mare leek a village; wuh all knar each other aroond here."

"Oh I see..." Daring didn't quite see, but she caught the gist of what Joy was saying.

"Anyway, are you hurt?" Rayner looked over her bruises and scrapes, trying to fathom the extent of her injuries.

"Ah'm anny fair grazed, but..." she trailed off, holding back her sorrow with a choked sob. She was in shock and all of the positive mental attitude in the world wouldn't wash away the bitterness. "... tuh tell ye the truth, ah am devastated, pet; the' teuk everypony: me friends, me family, me husband! This is a nightmare; ah winnet ivvor forgive that evil griffon!" She turned towards the roiling clouds that billowed above Hoofcastle, shouting as loud as she could. "D'ya heor wor y'evil son uvva bit? Ye'll git what's comin' t'ya; mark me words!" Her anger was plain to see, but it was mired in pain and worry. Her voice fell as she was overcome with a wave of sadness. "Ah'll git ye, ye buckin'..." She didn't even finish her sentence before collapsing.

"Joy!" Rayner quickly set to helping her up again, supporting her on his shoulder and heaving with all his might. Daring jumped to his aid, lifting her back up on to her feet. The unicorn swayed on the spot, trying to find her balance as she broke down in a flood of tears.

They guided her over to a nearby market stall, gently placing her down on some discarded sacks of flour. Daring was beyond angry, determination welling up inside. "Joy, I promise, he won't get away with this for long; I'm going to make sure of that." Rayner nodded in agreement.

"Sterling Silver is dangerous and vile, but somepony needs to stop him. If anyone can do it, I believe Daring can." She was slightly shocked by his trust; she knew she had saved his life on more than one occasion already, but she was unsure if it warranted such faith in her abilities. Sterling was a powerful, magical psychopath; she was no match for him, at least not yet.

"It might take some time, but all I ask is that you stay safe; don't try anything reckless, please. It won't be worth it to face him on your own, or even with an army at your back." Daring put a hoof on Joy's shoulder, prompting her to look up; her bloodshot eyes shimmered with tears.

"Git 'im, ye brave lass, ye." Joy urged. "Myek 'im pay fo' what he did; show 'im us ponies're neet pushovers!" The usual friendly sound of the Draughtie accent gave way to a spite that chilled them both to the core. Daring nodded.

"I have to leave town for a while; I need to find somepony who can help me. Sterling is far too powerful for any of us to fight, but he must have some kind of weakness."

"Wait, what can Ah do?" Joy stood again; they both backed off to give her some space. Daring smiled, giving tremendous respect to her resolve. "Ah wanna help any wa' Ah gan."

"Try to round up the rest of the ponies in Saddleton and lead them away from here, or find them a place where they will be safe elsewhere in the town. Nopony should have to suffer any more than they have already."

"Ah dunno if Ah'm the pony ye need fer tha'." She shied away, but Rayner tried to encourage her.

"You are exactly the pony we need for that, Joy; you are confident and approachable. I think you would make an amazing leader." The unicorn was flattered, blushing as she looked away.

"That's right; you helped me when I was down on my luck, and the way you work the market stall is excellent! You can easily lead them." Daring gently pulled her head back up, looking her in the eyes. "Now, are you going to take action?"

"Aye. Aye! Wor neet gonna take this lyin' doon!" She clapped a hoof on the explorer's shoulder. "Thank ye, pet; thanks fer believin' in me." Daring nodded once more, stepping out of Joy's way as she galloped away. "Good luck findin' help!" she called behind, disappearing down the main street.

Daring silently headed for the main gate, looking forward to being in the meadow once again. As she stepped past the palisade walls, she was aware of somepony following her. It was Rayner.

"So where are we going?" he asked.

"We? Is that a royal 'We'?" Daring was a little confused. "I'm going to get help; you should stay here and get the other ponies together."

"I'd rather not." Rayner pulled up next to her. "I have confidence in Joy's abilities."

"You don't want to help them?" Daring frowned.

"Oh... oh no; I don't mean it like that!" He mentally kicked himself as he realised how selfish he sounded. "I just want to help them, but by helping you. I'm coming with you."

"You're not coming with me, Rayner; I work on my own, and besides, it's too dangerous out there." She knew he was going to be a burden; he belonged in the town, looking after the rest of the citizens.

"But I can hold my own!"

"Have you ever seen a manticore, Rayner?"

"No."

"Or a cockatrice?"

"No, but-"

"Have you ever jumped across a spike pit, supporting yourself on pillars no wider than a hoof?"

"...No. I got a paper cut once, but-"

"Well, what makes you think you can survive out in the wilderness? I know where I have to go, but it involves travelling through the forest. The forest is very dangerous, especially for a city pony like you!"

"But I just want to help."

"Then help! Go back, help Joy round the others up, then take them to the nearest village; stick to the road, stay together and don't look back."

"But-"

"No buts; get!" Daring didn't have time for this hold-up; she needed to get airborne. The stallion reluctantly turned, walking back through the gates.

"I suppose I'll see you around?"

Daring huffed in frustration and took off. The sudden blast of air kicked up some dust from the road, forcing Rayner to shield his eyes. He watched the mare fly until she was out of sight before he cantered back down the street. He was going to need supplies.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So, after some delays, here is chapter 3 of Play of Colour. I really, really enjoy writing for Sterling Silver, but we probably won't see him again for a chapter or two.

Daring heads off for the forest, hoping to find someone to help in liberating Hoofcastle and Saddleton from the evil griffon. His little outburst continues to play on her mind. What is he hiding? What are his reasons for this conquest?

Only time will tell.

Another chapter should follow this one, but I'm in two minds as to whether I should work on part two of Purple Prose. Which one would you like to see next? Leave a comment if you want: Slice of Life or Adventure?

-Sy


End file.
